Preston v. United States
376 U.S. 364 · Decided March 23, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Preston v. United States was decided on March 23, 1964 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 376 U.S. 364 · 84 S. Ct. 881 · 11 L. Ed. 2d 777 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1578
- Docket number
- 163
- Decided
- March 23, 1964
- Argued
- February 25, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, vehicles
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Preston v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-077, docket 1963-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- One 1958 Plymouth Sedan v. Pennsylvania
- Cooper v. California
- Rios v. United States
- Harris v. United States
- Chambers v. Maroney
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Stoner v. California
- Rugendorf v. United States
- Aguilar v. Texas
- Beck v. Ohio
- Ker et Ux. v. California
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Newsome v. North Carolina
- Pickelsimer v. Wainwright
- Barnes v. North Carolina
- Panico v. United States
- Evola v. United States
- Crews v. Wainwright
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error